Modern diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and the Czech Republic were established on January 1, 1993. The eventful history since the Soviet era has played an important role in the relations between our countries. This is the era of megaprojects from the creation of greater Prague to the construction of the subway, the widespread development of new blocks of prefabricated high-rise buildings with a rich social and business infrastructure, the development of the agricultural and industrial complex, energy, including nuclear, and manufacturing industries, in particular mechanical engineering.
Our relations are based on a common civilizational, cultural and ethnic identity, belonging to a single geographical area. Visits of heads of State and high-level meetings play an important role in the development of bilateral relations. The first President of the Russian Federation, Boris Yeltsin, visited Prague in January 1993 and signed a number of agreements with Vaclav Havel. In March 2006, Vladimir Putin paid an official visit to the Czech Republic. In April 2007, President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Klaus met with his Russian counterpart in Moscow.
Even now, there is a positive trend in the restoration of diplomatic relations. In October 2024, it was decided to return the previously recalled Czech Ambassador, Vitezslav Pivonka, to Moscow. With the subsequent appointment of a new ambassador in January 2025, who became Daniel Kostoval. In turn, in December 2025, Anna Ponomareva assumed her duties as the new ambassador of Russia to the Czech Republic, replacing Alexander Zmeevsky, the head of the diplomatic mission.
Sofia Zolotova, correspondent of The Times of Russia, had a conversation with Pavel Malyshev, a Czech businessman, Honorary Doctor of the International Eurasian University, whose very attractive success story in developing an international business career is a good example of how activity and strategic vision in the field of economic entrepreneurship can eventually lead to significant results in the field of humanities, cultural and scientific cooperation.
Sofia Zolotova: Dear Pavel, you are a citizen of the Czech Republic with Russian roots. Today, at this tense moment in History, when the whole world is experiencing permanent turbulence, how do you see the prospects for the development of Russian-Czech relations and the mission of your personal participation in this process?
Pavel: I am an entrepreneur with a classical, one might say conservative mentality. For me, economics is more important than politics. People’s needs and the benefits they acquire in the process of trade, general creation, the implementation of construction, industrial and agricultural projects, as well as projects in other sectors of the economy, are a kind of mainstream activity and the main criterion humanity. This may sound a little pathetic, but I believe that new approaches and strategic partnership models, the depoliticization of the economy and business can be a very productive approach for our countries and will open up positive horizons not only for mutually beneficial cooperation, but also for the growth of mutual understanding and the strengthening of good neighborliness.
Sofia Zolotova: I agree with you, this is a very constructive point of view. Tell me, in your opinion, what window of opportunity exists today in the economic sphere of relations between our two countries?
Pavel: Today it seems to me that all sensible forces in Europe are thinking about the energy, food and public security of this unique sub-continent of Eurasia. You know, Sofia, there is a well-known formula for understanding the essence of geopolitical processes: “there is a huge amount of money in America, a huge number of people in Asia and a huge number of smart people in Europe.” Perhaps I would like to consider myself one of this number of “smart people” and I am convinced that these smartest people should unite in solving the pressing problems of our civilization. Combining the efforts of Russia and the Czech Republic, especially the scientific communities, Academies of Sciences and innovators of our two countries could be an example of a growth point, the beginning of the transformation of our relations towards technological, social and cultural rapprochement. There is great potential here for the scientific and business communities of our countries, but to unlock it, it is necessary to meet and discuss ways of joint creativity, for example, in the framework of separately organized sessions at the BRICS Forum, held in the UAE and India. By the way, we are already conducting a fairly productive dialogue with representatives of the Czech business community and the leadership of the BRICS Forum.
Sofia Zolotova: Pavel, tell me, what practical steps and creative, non-standard approaches do you see in the development of Russian-Czech relations?
Pavel: As an Honorary Doctor of the International Eurasian University, educational programs and youth educational forums are very important to me. I also see great potential in the use of sports diplomacy tools, in particular in the field of hockey. I see holding joint events as an effective way to bring together the interests of not only the youth of our countries, but also sports fans. Alternatively, Omsk Avangard and Kladensky Knights, as well as Prague Slavia and Yekaterinburg Avtomobilist, could play on a neutral site, both in youth and adult teams.
Sofia Zolotova. Yes, the educational sphere and sports diplomacy have great potential. Dear Pavel, you mentioned India. And we would like to officially congratulate you on being awarded the Mahatma Gandhi Order by the NRA Institute. Please tell us about it.
Pavel: Thank you, Sofia, for the congratulations. It was indeed a great honor for me when the head of the International NRA Institute, Mr. Manu Singh, informed me that I had been awarded this prestigious order by the decision of the Institute’s Committee. Mahatma Gandhi is called the Father of the Indian nation. He maintained the very great traditional values that we were talking about today. It seems to me that his biography and ideals are an example, a model for all politicians – in the East and in the West. Establishing a constructive dialogue between East and West is our strategic task, but we are already on this agenda, including in developing a dialogue between representatives of business and science of the Russian Federation and the Czech Republic.
Sofia Zolotova: Thank you very much, Pavel, and I hope to see you soon at the friendly hockey match between the teams from Russia and the Czech Republic.
Pavel. Thank you, Sofia! Let everything happen exactly like that!
